Home sweet home – as of 29 July 2024
To help make a rental feel like a home, small, personalised changes (known as minor modifications) will be allowed in most cases, however tenants must seek permission.
Please click here to visit the making changes to a rental home page for more information including the list of modifications.
Please click here for the Minor Modifications Form.
Tenants will need to fill in an approved form and email it to admin@perthpropertygroup.com.au
Some frequently asked questions:
Can a Landlord refuse permission for a Tenant to make minor modifications?
It depends on the type of modification that the tenant is asking to make and why a landlord wants to refuse.
If the modification is on the list that is prescribed in the Residential Tenancies Regulations, Landlords will only be able to refuse consent in limited circumstances.
Landlords will be able to refuse the request without making an application to the Commissioner for Consumer Protection in a few situations, such as where the modification would disturb material containing asbestos or a written law or scheme by-laws prohibit making the modification.
Landlords will be able to make an application to the Commissioner for Consumer Protection to refuse in other circumstances such as where the modification would result in additional maintenance costs, would make the premises unsafe or the action required to reverse the modification is not reasonably practical.
Landlords may also impose reasonable conditions on making the modifications. For some modifications this includes that the work must be undertaken by a qualified person.
For other more significant modifications, landlords will be able to refuse consent, but consent cannot unreasonably be withheld.
What conditions can a Landlord place on allowing a Tenant to make minor modifications?
Landlords can place reasonable conditions on their consent for a tenant to make minor modifications. “Reasonable conditions” include:
*Conditions that have had approved by an application to the Commissioner for Consumer Protection. This may include conditions that are specific to the premises, such as the placement and direction of security cameras on the exterior of the premises.
*For certain types of modification, that the work must be done by a qualified person.
Is the tenant required to ‘make good’ at the end of the tenancy?
Yes. Unless otherwise agreed, the tenant will be required to either:
*restore the property to the condition it was in immediately before the changes were made (allowing for fair wear); or
*pay an amount equal to the reasonable cost of restoring the property.
Why is the law changing to make it more difficult for Landlords to refuse to have modifications made in their rental properties?
The rental sector is growing and more Western Australians are renting for longer and through different life stages.
An increasing number of WA tenants see their rental property as their long-term home. Allowing tenants to make small modifications to the rental premises helps them feel at home and allows them to stay for longer.
Landlords will still be able to refuse consent for major modifications, such as those that affect the structural integrity of the premises.